reentry

American  

[ree-en-tree] / riˈɛn tri /

Also re-entry,

noun

plural

reentries

1. an act of reentering.

2. the return from outer space into the earth's atmosphere of an earth-orbiting satellite, spacecraft, rocket, or the like.

3. Law. the retaking of possession under a right reserved in a prior conveyance.

4. Also called reentry card.  Bridge, Whist. a card that will win a trick enabling one to regain the lead previously lost, especially the lead from a particular hand.

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Etymology

Origin of reentry

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; re-, entry

Example Sentences

A multi-warhead missile can strike multiple targets with a single launch while overwhelming defence systems through simultaneous, dispersed reentry vehicles.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

Kristie Puckett, a lobbyist who pushes against mass incarceration and the barriers for reentry into society, said that private prisons have “long found success hiding information” about their treatment of people detained in their facilities.

From Salon • Jan. 28, 2026

Fernando and his coauthor, Constantinos Charalambous, a research fellow at Imperial College London, tested the technique by analyzing the reentry of debris from China's Shenzhou-15 spacecraft.

From Science Daily • Jan. 24, 2026

Between Jan. 20 and May 1, the office charged 347 people with illegal reentry.

From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2025

When he finally splashed down, he was off by forty miles, only because of an incorrect estimate in the capsule’s reentry weight.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly